It’s not the best time of year to end up in jail.
A man dressed as Santa Claus and another in a Grinch costume certainly didn’t get the memo.
The pair were posing for photos with residents of the municipality of Aguascalientes in central Mexico when they began arguing over tips.
Local news media reported that the skirmish over the holidays was instigated by one of the men, who was less than happy that tourists and locals were giving more money to the other character.
Bystanders visiting the city’s main square to enjoy the Christmas displays alerted police, who broke up the fight as children looked on in complete shock.
A viral video showed the person dressed as the Grinch being handcuffed by one of the police officers.
Santa Claus was seen kneeling on the ground and receiving medical attention from a paramedic before being led away by an officer.
It is not known whether both people are suspected of a criminal offense.
Police in Aguascalientes, Mexico, arrested a man in a Grinch costume along with another dressed as Santa Claus after they got into an argument over tips they earned taking photos with locals and tourists in the town’s main square on Monday
A police officer escorts a man dressed as Santa Claus moments after an altercation with another man dressed as the Grinch in Aguascalientes, Mexico on Monday. Local news media reported that the individuals were angry because one of them was making more in tips while posing for photos with visitors
Social media users thought the Grinch wanted to abolish Christmas.
“The legend is true: he ruined Christmas,” one person commented. “And the other guy just wanted to do good. Seriously, greed is what’s causing this.”
“I mean, it’s the Grinch, so what did you expect?!” someone else said: ‘He took his role very seriously.’
“The Grinch is an actor in his method,” a social media post said. “He didn’t think twice about beating up Santa.”
The not-so-happy incident comes after a pair of bandits dressed in Kris Kringle outfits broke into a store in Brazil two weeks ago.
The thieves were spotted checking the entrance to the electronics store and later returned with a metal bar to pry open a metal gate and smash a glass door.
Once inside, the suspects were able to take 33 cell phones, five video games and a speaker.
It is not known if the person dressed as Santa Claus and the other wearing a Grinch costume have been charged with a criminal offense after she was arrested in Mexico on Monday for fighting in public
In November, a condo manager who intervenes in a fight over putting up Christmas decorations attacked a tenant with a hammer in the city of the Brazilian city of Paranoá.
The violent outburst occurred after an elderly resident decided to decorate the building despite the objections of some tenants.
After a resident took down the ornaments adorning his door and hallway, the elderly woman returned to replace the decorations, leading to an argument between her and the neighbor.
Then the building manager intervened and decided to hang the decorations himself.
In surveillance footage, the manager appeared to argue with the protesting tenant before charging at him with a hammer.